


The Dull Weekend

by kikibug13



Category: Birds of Prey (Comic)
Genre: F/F, Misses Clause Challenge, Post Break-up, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-23
Updated: 2012-12-23
Packaged: 2017-11-22 02:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/604583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikibug13/pseuds/kikibug13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's something that Babs needs to do on her own, and, yes, she can take care of her own safety.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dull Weekend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katekane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katekane/gifts).



> Right after BoP #061.
> 
> Many thanks to my betas!

Dinah's head was still reeling from the day. She got fired, she learned that her good friend had broken up with her S.O., she got to realize they were put between two people who really wanted to find them, and she got re-hired. Oh, and she got a new working partner. Whom she liked, don't get her wrong, but it was going to be... interesting. 

Oh, and she was still two limbs down. The lower two. And the damned casts weighed a lot.

She was still better off than Babs, though, if not in better shape exactly. She was going to get better. Babs was... stuck.

Not that she let that stop her. Barbara Gordon kept going, no matter what it was that happened. And Dinah couldn't not respect that. Maybe even love it, a little. 

Okay. More than a little. 

The dinner was _not_ Italian. They'd had their share of that for the day. Well, Babs had, and that was okay. Dinah was good with Thai, too, especially now that she could use her hand again. Just sitting here across the table from her again? She'd have eaten _Ollie's_ cooking, for that, and that was saying something. 

Babs spaced out in the middle of conversation, and Dinah sighed slightly, then reached over, squeezing her arm slightly. 

"Hey."

"What? Oh. Yeah, I'm sorry. I was just..."

"I know. It's all right."

The bright blue eyes narrowed at her. "You know."

"I was calling people to ask for sparring. Nightwing was the third on my list."

"Oh." She looked away, red hair falling across her face and Dinah's hand moved to wrap fingers with her. 

"He said it was your call, and I'm not going to ask. But if and when you need to talk about it? I'm here."

"Thanks, Dinah. I just... He's going to crash and burn, and I've tried to stop him. But I can't, he won't let me. And I won't let him drag me down with him."

Oh. _Oh._ Well then. That made... a lot more sense of her getting fired, too. 

"Don't look at me like that." 

"No, I." Dinah's lips curved up. "You have the right to make that call, all right? It just... put today into perspective."

Babs winced, and Dinah sighed, rolling her wheelchair around the table so she was beside her friend. "You do what you have to do. I understand, and it's all right, it really is. I'm glad I'm staying, though. I'm _not_ dragging you down. Give me a few weeks and I'm taking you flying again."

"You're impossible, you know that?" But Barbara's fingers tightened around hers, and it was all right. 

"Don't give me straight lines like that."

Babs's eyes widened, and then, despite herself, she laughed. "What if I _wanted_ to?"

"... don't make the stakes higher than you can handle, Red."

The blue eyes narrowed behind the glasses, and Dinah's heart fluttered. _Nu-huh, Dinah. Don't even think about it._ But she was thinking about it, and it... maybe Babs was hurting, right now, and it was a crappy moment, but she was also single. And that was a start, right?

Dinah licked her lips, trying to find something to say, when something beeped from behind Babs, and Babs frowned, breaking eye contact to check it out, and the moment slipped through their fingers as they disentangled. The redhead wheeled her chair in the direction of her desk; the blonde picked up the empty dishes and headed towards the kitchen. 

"Dinah?" 

"Yeah?" 

"You gonna be all right in here? I need to go out and replace some tech." 

"I could--"

"Your hand's good enough for fighting, but this'll take precise touch at the easiest of cases. I'll be fine."

"Babs."

"What?" 

Dinah paused a moment, thinking of how to phrase it. "Don't go offline, hmm?"

"Sure. I can do that."

Of course, as soon as O. headed out, Helena called in to discuss... the job offer. Dinah shook her head, dried her hands from the soapwater, and patched the through, keeping an eye on the conversation. 

Which didn't go well. Helena was sharper than she had been when she'd been doing the occasional gig. She didn't like depending on others, and it was showing. And Babs... well, it had been a long day. And she was trying to focus. So she said a few things that were... inconsiderate. 

"I'll think about it," Helena snapped, eventually, and hung up. 

Dinah could hear Barbara's sigh. She waited a couple of minutes before speaking up. "That could have gone better."

"I really can't get a read on her, Dinah. It's driving me insane."

"It was your idea--"

"I know, I _know_ , but just..."

"It's none of your business how provocatively she dresses, nor how much protection it allows, you know. If she thinks she can handle it? She probably can."

"But she looks like--"

" _Don't_ say it, Barbara. It's-- O! Incoming!"

And then it was happening too fast for the follow, her legs twitching with the want to be _there_ , to go in and _be_ the operative she was, but it wasn't going to happen. There was Helena, of course, and Dinah sent her the coordinates with on emergency code, and _hoped_ she'd go. God, having both legs broken _sucked_ donkey balls. Fucking Savate and his fucking besotted muscle. 

For several minutes, all she could hear were crashes, grunts, and the smacking of hardware into flesh. 

It gave her just a bit better perspective on what those couple of days had been, for Barbara. It didn't make it any easier to wait, considering the aftermath for her own body.

Helena's voice snapped her out of it. "... Black Canary? You shouldn't have pulled me out of that stakeout." 

"What?"

"It seems that Oracle was pretty well capable of subduing four opponents. She'll need some ice when she gets back, but I wasn't necessary."

Dinah's heartbeat started coming down, slightly. Made her realize how badly she'd panicked. Her heart was never hammering like that when _she_ was fighting, herself. "Will you stick around until she's done, anyway? Just in case."

"I can hear that."

"You are supposed to."

"I don't need a babysitter." There was danger in her voice. 

"Well, too bad. I'm not losing my boss twice in the same day."

"Hey, if you two need a room..."

"... don't give me straight lines like that."

The pause that followed it this time was lengthy. And then the other two women chuckled.

"You'd die bored if I didn't."

"Maybe. But then I'd have to beg you to alleviate my suffering."

Babs snorted. "She'd just love that, I bet.."

"Of course. That's the point. Huntress, you all good?"

"Yes. Everything's clear. Oracle hits hard, they haven't even stirred, yet."

Dinah could almost hear the returned smirk. "Stop patting yourself on the shoulder, O, and finish your job. Then come back here. That's all."

"It never is." 

Dinah's turn to snort. And a little more silence. And then, quietly. 

"Huntress? Canary and I are going out for dinner tomorrow," Dinah's breath hitched, they had talked of nothing of the sort, "and I'm wondering if we can talk you into joining us." 

Helena took her time, answering. "I think I can do that," she concluded. "Which wheelchair will I be pushing? I mean, I could probably do both, but--"

"Oh, shut up," Dinah was laughing, and the small amused huffs coming from Babs suggested she wasn't the only one. 

Maybe it wasn't going to be perfect, or easy. But they were damn well going to make it _right_. Nothing else anyone could ask.


End file.
